


Risky Bets

by ZaneAlias



Series: Risky Bets [1]
Category: OneShot (Video Game)
Genre: A fanfic, F/M, I don't own this, Niko has light necklace, Oneshot, etc. - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-10-25 21:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10773111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaneAlias/pseuds/ZaneAlias
Summary: Niko finally made it home. This is good, right?I sure hope so...





	1. Retry

Niko stepped through the portal, rubbing tears from their eyes. ___ was a nice god, but he could not linger with the gateway to his homeworld staring him in the face.  
In the distance, his mama’s desperate cries were carried by the wind over the waving stalks of the wheat field.

“MAMA! I’m here!”

 

His mama froze for a second, before turning on a dime. 

“Niko!”

Niko all but leaped into his crying mother’s arms, unable to restrain himself. He grinned, hugging mama tightly. Nothing could ruin this moment.

“Niko, hurry, we have to leave!”

Niko’s smile slipped off his face faster than he could eat a pancake.

“Mama, what’s happening!”  
“I… I’ll tell you later. We HAVE to go now!”

They were further prompted to leave by a shell, exploding nearby. Niko escaped, unscathed, but his mother wasn’t as fortunate. She fell to her knees, bracing herself against the ground.

“Niko, run! Just run, I’ll catch up with you!”  
“WHAT WAS THAT?”  
“Don’t think Niko, just do it!”

And run he did. He ran.  
And ran.

And ran.

His destroyed village was left behind.  
The burning wheat field.  
His mother’s lie.  
But he had no time to think about these thoughts. He was much too busy…  
Running.  
And running.  
And running.  
They only question was…  
Where to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lets goo!  
> Anon commenting enabled!


	2. Mission: Start!

Silver picked up a solar panel portable hat charger, before closing the drawer. Now that the sun was back, this would come in handy.

She walked outside, feeling her batteries drink in the energy from the sunlight. "Much better." And, like any respectable person, stopped by to see Prophetbot. "I guess Niko succeeded, didn't he?"

[Yes. I guess he did.]

"He said something about a 'World Machine' though... I'm not sure what he meant by that." [

I know not of this... World Machine. You must find out by yourself. I would, but I cannot leave my post. I am not tamed.]

Silver grunted in reply, turning away and trotting over to one of the many abandoned houses. Since no one else was here, she figured no one would miss the stuff inside. Unfortunately, this particular building was missing a door, oddly enough. The only sign this "building" wasn't merely a large block of wood was the upstairs window, which released a soft glow if you stared long enough. The only feasible way of getting in would be to climb. The only problem? All the metal ladders were scrapped to be melted down.

After disassembling multiple house floors, she brought the planks over to the house, and set herself upon the arduous task of constructing a ladder built into the side of the house. If she could find any nails, that is. At least she couldn't really fall asleep. For once, being a robot had its advantages.

...

...

...

Niko woke up, leaning against the side of a ruined building. Where was he? What happened? There he sat, thinking and remembering. There were explosions, he ran, he dodged a fiery blaze, and kept running even though he was exhausted. He most likely passed out, which was why yesterday was merely a haze.

He brushed the dust off his scarf, realizing his hat was missing. He must have dropped it somewhere when he was running! Well, too late now.

Niko got to his feet, surveying the area. He was in one of the buildings that had been destroyed by... the creatures... that had probably captured his mom. Sitting on a desk was a picture of the old occupants. He stared for a while, before averting his eyes, unable to look at it anymore.

He picked through the remains, sneezing from dust, and scratching himself on wooden and stone wreckage. The only thing he found of use was a necklace, with a glowing yellow cube on the end. He put it on, feeling a bit better.

Sure, his mother was captured.

Sure, he had no idea where he was.

Sure, his hair was glowing yellow.

Sure, he was all alone.

Wait a second. His hair was glowing.

"When did that happen...?" he muttered.

He started to shake his head, watching in disbelief as his hair refused to obey gravity and floated around.

_Crack._

He whirled around in surprise, jumping backwards a full foot, and unleashing a bolt of light and heat which melted the pebble which had just hit the ground.

"WOAH."

A soft-spoken voice spoke up from the darkness.

"That was pretty cool, wasn't it?"

...

...

...

Silver slated the last nail into place, hauling herself up through the window, landing with a thump on the hardwood floor.

The room was fairly bare, with a bookshelf, a bed, and a computer. What actually captured her attention was a door with light escaping under the cracks.

She walked up to it, staring up at a scanner above the entrance.

[PROCEEDING WITH SCAN...]

[BEEP BOOP. MISSING... ALULA, CALAMUS, CEDRIC, RUE, AND PROTO. PLEASE BRING THEM HERE.]

"... What?"

This was peculiar. There was no one in the barrens who could match that name. Which meant they lived in the Glen, or the Refuge. She figured it was for the best. After all, she hadn't visited in a long time.

Now she just had to find some oil. Rowbot's joints were rusting again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was a pain to make. But its for YOU GUYSSSSSSS  
> Pls comment on what you think and shiz  
> BOOYAH  
> And, as you can tell, I think of Niko as a boy.  
> Anon commenting enabled!


	3. 3rd time's the charm

Niko jumped up in the air. Again. He waved his hands in their general direction, illuminating the area with his glowing hands.

“WHO’S THERE?”

“H-hey! The light hurts my eyes!”  
A small boy, about 6, cowered in the dark recesses of the building, shielding her eyes from the bright light.

“O-oh! Sorry…”  
“It's ok, I did kinda surprise you there.”

At first glance, the child appeared to be a raggedy nobody. When Niko took a closer look, he could see the boy was clutching a small weapon-like object, with 3 metal prongs and small solar panels.

“What’s that you have there?”  
“You know the robots, right?”   
“Mhm.”   
“So the robots run on electricity, but if their capacitors are overloaded with a CONTROLLED SHOCK, their wires will short out and their processors will cease to work!”   
Throughout the explanation, the child gestured frantically, trying to explain what he meant.   
“Uuh… English?”   
“That was the correct language…”   
“Wowie, you’re a genius!”   
“You gotta be to survive in this world.”   
“What did you mean?”   
“I meant if I shoot them with this thing, they’ll explode!”   
“I remember hearing an explosion back that way-”   
Niko pointed toward the way he came.   
“-and my mom was hurt and told me to go ahead and wait for her! I think she was captured, but we’ll be able to get her back!”   
The little boy stared at the ground, not replying.   
“What is it?”   
“Its… nothing. C’mon, come back to my ‘lil hideout!”   
Niko, of course, was hungry, still tired, and had no shelter. So he followed.   
_Some robots captured Mom? I don’t remember that…_

…

…

…

Silver punted a block, watching it skitter across the stone floor of the ruins.

“Hey Calamus, I think I heard something this way! Do you think it’s Niko?”  
“Sorry Alula, I think Niko went home already. It's not good to get attached to people who leave too soon.”   
“Too late.”   
“What do you mean?”

Silver peeked her head around the corner.

“You two are Calamus and Alula, right?”

“How did you know? Me and Alula have never seen you before!”  
“I heard your ruckus while we were coming…”   
“Alula, you have to stop making so much noise…”   
“Could I ask you two a favor?”   
“Yup!”   
“Alula, at your service!”   
“Your home looks a bit flooded…”   
“Yeah… Calamus tried to drain the water, but there’s too much.”   
“Since you don’t have anywhere else to go, would you like to come with me?”   
“Sure!”

“Can do!”

…

…

…   
Niko entered the boy’s home, which was proudly labelled “Edd’s place” on a sign above the door.   
“Edd, right?”   
“Yup! Looks like you saw the sign!”

Edd flipped a switch, causing the interior to light up.  
“You can… turn off your hair now. I have light in here already.”   
“... I don’t know how.”   
“What do you mean you don’t know how?”   
“I just put on this glowing cube necklace and this happened!”   
“Glowing cube?”   
“Yeah! I found it in an abandoned building.”

“The glowing cube used to belong to our old protector, tasked with the job of keeping the villages safe, using the sun’s energy.”  
“You mean like yellow phosphor?”   
“We don’t have that here… our protector did fine without it. He could concentrate really hard and fire bolts of energy!”   
“You mean like this?”   
Niko was smart enough to melt a hole in the wall with his powers.

Ok. Maybe not so smart.

Edd recoiled in shock, bracing himself against a wall.

“Man, am I glad we’re on the same side.”

“I’m not dangerous!”  
Edd created some air quotes.   
“ ‘Not Dangerous’. Sure.”

Niko became understandably grumpy.  
“Nyah.”   
“What?”   
“You know… Nyah. NYAH~”   
“Stop.”

…

…

…

“Excuse me sir, might I ask why there is a fox on your head and a fully grown man on your back?”  
“No. You may not.”

The man hurried away before he became late.  
“That was awkward…”   
“This was your fault Cedric. You just HAD to rest your legs like Rue here.”   
“H-hey! Don’t drag me into this!”   
“‘S’cuse me!”

Silver dodged Plight before bumping into Proto.

“Hey, robot. Have you heard of ‘Proto, Rue, and Cedric’?”

“That’s us.”  
“Right here.”

“Yup!”

“Do any of you have any plans today?”  
Proto scanned his memory drive.   
“No, I don’t think so. What for?”   
“Would’a mind coming with me to the Barrens for something? I ABSOLUTELY need you there.”

“I guess…”  
…

…

…

“What happened to my village and everything?”  
“Well, robots were built to help us with our everyday life. One day, some numbskull created an archive of all code ever written, and ran it. A sentient AI came about, but when it saw death and plague and war, it decided the best thing for everyone was to murder them, so they wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.”   
“Doesn’t that just cause more suffering?”   
“Ask the robot.”   
“Where do the robots live?”   
“Their headquarters is at the center of California, of course. Also known as the residence of Silicon Valley, tech capital of the world. But here, in New York, we’d never get there in time before humanity is eliminated. By the way, why do you always wear that hat and whiskers? You look like a cat.”

“... I am a cat, sort of.”  
“WHAT?”   
“My mama and I were part cat. I’m not sure who Dad was…”   
“That makes literally no sense.”   
“I don’t know…”   
“Can’t you bring me to… California?”

“All my stuff is here though…”  
“Bring it with you! We’ll need it to fight off any robots anyway!”

“Fine. We leave at dawn, however. We’ll be going in that direction.”  
“That was the way I came!”   
“I know. I don’t really care. If you wanna get to California, do what I say. In the meantime, have a pancake. Its the only food I have left."  
"Why only pancakes? I'm not complaining though."  
"They're the only thing I know how to make..."  
…   
…   
…

Alula’s bird feet were tired from walking, her wings were heavy, and her enthusiasm was all but gone.

“How much longer???”

“Stop your whining, we’re here.”  
Silver stopped in front of the house-esque building she had built a ladder on.

“WE HAVE TO CLIMB THAT?”

Alula rapped her knuckles on Silver’s solar cap.

“Don’t touch. It’s fragile.”

\---SOME CLIMBING LATER---

[PROCEEDING WITH SCAN...]

[BEEP BOOP. MISSING... NOONE. ACCESS GRANTED.]

Silver went to open the door. Which meant, to advance the plot, it was stuck. Silver tried to punch the door open. It didn’t work.

She tried to kick it open.

It didn’t work.

Then Calamus suggested everyone charge at the door.  
“IN 3, 2, 1…”

…

…

…

Niko put his hat back on.

“This is where I dropped it!”  
“C’mon. Let’s keep going. We’ve got many more miles to cover.”   
Niko turned to the door portal he had went through.

“I wish my friends were here with me. ___ would bring them here if they knew.”  
…

…

…

Silver charged at the door, everyone else on her heels, as the door busted open, everyone landing in a tangled heap at Niko’s feet.

Niko gasped.

“THEY ARE HERE! GOD DID THIS!  I KNEW IT!”

Everyone was surprised.

And then Alula slapped him across the face.

“THAT’S quite enough, Niko.”  
Now everyone was even MORE surprised.

One does not simply slap the messiah.

Calamus spoke up from the back.

“She’s just grumpy, is all. Is there anywhere at all, we could rest?”  
Edd started to stammer.

“B-but, we have to get GOING!”

Silver whirled to meet the newcomer.  
“Who is this? Should I eliminate them?”   
Edd pointed his tazer-gun-thing at her.

“DON’T TAKE ANOTHER STEP!”

Niko dashed forward, standing in between them.

“GUYS STOP FIGHTING THIS INSTANT!”

 

 

and you though Alula was gon be nice and shiz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?  
> SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON...  
> HASTILY WRITTEN FANFICTION!  
> jk  
> COMMENT PLS THANKS  
> Anon commenting enabled!


	4. Mini-Chapter thing Part 1 its kinda a sneak peak but whatever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fluffy mini chapter

Edd sheathed his weapon, muttering obscenities. Silver shot Niko a look, only for him to respond with a half-hearted shrug.  
“Who’s he?”  
“He’s… Edd.”  
“Is he always like this?”  
“Not always.”  
“Making friends wherever you go, eh?”  
“I guess…”  
Niko was hit with the full force of his fatigue, which had been pushed to the back of his mind so far. He sat down with contempt, asking Edd if they could stop for the night. Edd reluctantly agreed, wanting to make full use of the daylight they’d been given, but also needing to rest his aching legs. The bird sibs immediately went to sleep. Silver powered down, setting an alarm for the morning, Proto following suit. Rue curled up by a campfire Edd setup, leaving Cedric to tinker with whatever Edd had. Edd was the first to speak up.  
“Why would you want to go to California so badly?”  
“My mama’s trapped there!”  
“But heading there is a suicide mission! The entirety of Silicon Valley is infested with robots. Orb bots guard the perimeter, with hidden traps to catch any unwary enough to venture within.”  
“You mean there’s always guards and traps and it's hard to get in?”  
“Basically.”  
“Couldn’t you make something to get rid of them?”  
“I could, but I’d need more parts.”  
“We could get them on the way!”  
“Perhaps.”  
Niko got up, heading into one of the makeshift tents that were upright, lying down on the mat inside. They had a long way to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have finals and stuff and projects, which will delay this for a 'lil. Here's a mini-chapter to satiate your guy's hunger.  
> ITS SO FLUFFFFY


	5. Mini-Chapter thing Part 2

It was 6:00 in the morning, on the dot, when Niko woke up. He opened his tent flap, only to find everyone asleep. He walked around for a while, investigating Edd’s gadgets and fingering the yellow phosphor trinkets given to him. He hung the amber necklace around his own neck, and place the feather behind his ear, before tossing the dice up and down.

Up and down.   
Up and down.

Until he finally became bored and sat down to watch the sunrise.

…

Alula woke up, completely not remembering the day before, momentarily panicking before she gained a full grasp of her memories. Calamus was still fast asleep, being a very deep sleeper. Alula was surprised she managed to sleep at all, what with Calamus’s loud snores.

Peeking outside, she could see Niko all by his lonesome, watching the sunrise and absent-mindedly rubbing the red welt where Alula slapped him the day before. She decided to sleep more, but her legs and mouth thought sitting next to Niko would be a way better idea.   
“Sorry for your cheek yesterday…”   
“It’s fine.”

Niko was staring off into the distance, as if willing something toward him.

“What is it?”   
“Mama’s trapped by robots.”   
“I’m sorry…”   
“It’s not your fault. Maybe if I got home sooner, or-”   
“Niko, what’s done is done. You have to hope you can get her back. It’s the only way.”   
“California.”   
“What?”   
“That’s where she is.”   
“We’ve got a long way to go then.”   
Alula brushed the hair out of her face staring at Niko was was fixated on the giant sun in the sky.   
“So that’s your sun?”   
“Yeah. Its creation is a long story…”   
“We’ve got time. A lot of it.”

“Well, once upon a time…”

…

…

…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got bored,so here's some fluff i whipped up in less than half an hour  
> i did this when i was supposed to work on a math poster  
> oh well


	6. Its a short chapter because its more condensed lol

Calamus woke up, muttering a “wake up sleepyhead” to Alula, only to realize she wasn’t there. He timidly peeked out of the tent to see Alula and Niko sitting and talking together and forgot about making breakfast. He could barely hear what they were conversing about, so he laid low and eavesdropped, because all good brothers do that.

Rue woke up, the symbol on her head shining a bit brighter, annoying everyone in the immediate area, with the effect of forcing everyone that were still asleep to cover their eyes and think, “I’m up, I’m up, jeez.” Just then, Silver’s alarm went off, proceeding to annoy the heck out of the group and alert Alula and Niko to the other’s wake up call.

The robot duo made breakfast because everyone else was groggy and still in sleep mode. Except for Edd, whose hair was ruffled and sleep schedule ruined. He had woken up at like 2:00 AM to work on his contraptions, staying quiet the entire night. A boy always needs his building time. 

“So I think I-I-I managed to uh build a second uh laser pistolly thingy which we can use to kill the other robots and”   
Rue poked him.   
“Slow down, fast one. That’s enough caffeine for you.”   
“I didn’t HAVE any caffeine!”   
“Is this a regular thing for you?”   
“Yes.”

And then Silver did a “SURPRISE!” and summoned the pancakes for the non-robots because robots don’t eat.

And that’s what they did for the next 20 minutes. They sat and (awkwardly) ate pancakes. Edd left within the first 2 minutes, and everyone else trickled away after that. So Edd butted in.

“Clear out guys, we’re leaving now. Don’t touch the mechanical vehicle. It’s for my creations.”   
“Sorry…”   
For hours they walked along, through the wheat fields, occasionally stopping for a break to chat or to lay on the “car” and rub their eyes tiredly. Eventually they reached forests, which provided ample shade and nice tree stump chairs. 

“How the hell did we get here so fast? Silver, could ya do calculations?”   
“Our group consists of robots, an omnipresent fox, an aviator, the literal saviour, and bird people. What did you expect, Edd?”

“What could Cedric do?”

“He could help you with with your countless machines that you stay up all night doing.”   
“But they’re mine…”   
_ Crunch. _

_ Crunch. _

_ Crunch. _

Niko spoke up first, being part cat.   
“You guys hear that?”   
“It’s branches breaking!”   
A shadowy figure appeared in the darkness. 

**“Hello, travelers. Are you tired at all? Do you wish to rest?”**

“Who are you?”   
The figure stepped into the light, revealing a merchant armed to the teeth with various knives and small projectile weaponry. On cue, other warriors stepped out of the darkness, ready to defend this man from the dangers of the universe.

Edd pulled out his weapon, only for the merchant to chuckle.   
“You are outnumbered. There is no way you could possibly defeat all my friends. Lay down your weapon.”   
Edd reluctantly put down his laser pistol thing.

“Now, all of you come with me. We have much to discuss.”   
The group explained to the man where they were headed for and why. Niko was restless, knowing they were losing time by idling in this cottage. 

“So can we go now?”   
“Don’tcha wanna trade? I have many trinkets that you may find useful.”   
Edd of course, couldn’t pass up a chance to barter for new parts to use, being tech savvy.

“Sure! Now, may I see your stock…”

The vendor was mildly surprised to find a 6 year old, of all things, wanting nuts and bolts, but the kid had cargo. And that’s all he cared about. The child had to be a genius, if he could build a car all on his own. 

“So I need some more solar panels for a more reliable source of energy…”

“I have something even better: A fusion reactor, complete with hydrogen filters. Works best if you fill the tanks with water.”   
“That would be useful…”   
“My men have a little bit of trouble keeping robots away, though, because bullets don’t quite work on their metal exterior.”   
“Oh, I have something for that…”   
Niko sat and watched his friends interact, talking, yelling, etc.

Proto stealing Silver’s solar cap, much to her disappointment.

Alula riding away on a rolling chair with Calamus in the seat.

Rue riding a Nyoomba™, with Cedric trying to catch her.

One could say this was an odd bunch.

After and hour of hankering and trying to get Rue off the dealer’s Nyoomba™, the man agreed to let them leave. Edd thanked him, walking off with an armful of parts (fusion reactor included because who doesn’t love limitless energy). The man waved goodbye, clutching one of Edd’s Tesla Shots™.  

After another long while, they came across a small village, where they decided to rest for the night.

Niko strolled in the villagers staring wide eyed at this band of robots and slightly insane people. After providing a long explanation of what they intended to do, they agreed to let them stay, as long as Edd helped fix their sentry robot, who was supposed to defend the town. 

“Thank you for coming. I’m not sure we would have been able to defend ourselves without your help.”   
Edd nodded politely, before heading back to a small house they had been given temporarily. Niko was nomming on some ramen from the old world, watching Proto suggest ideas to Edd for upgrades to his car, so they could cover more miles every day, instead of walking all the time.

Soon, everyone ended up in a cot or bed, ready to sleep. But life had other plans.

In the middle of the night, Niko’s cat ears detected a peculiar sound coming from outside, luring him out of his bed into the open.

Buuuuuut that’s for next time! 

Lol cliffhangers

Not really

ohwell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls comment what should happen next!  
> Taking suggestions!


	7. Mini hiatus

Im becoming a bad fanfic writer So, I'm going on a mini-hiatus until May ends because PROJECTS!

sorry...

i will try to type in between

also

pls comment suggestions for storyyyyy

k thx


	8. Honestly

Niko sat up, looking around, noticing the snoring coming off to the left, and a light turned on somewhere to the right. 

Niko pushed the door open, hesitating to see if there was anyone around to spy on him. Even with his cat eyes, there was nothing to disturb him. The door creaked as it closed shut behind him, as he dragged a chair over to him to sit in. The stars glowed, high above his head, almost as bright as the lightbulb sun he replaced. He wondered how everyone was doing now. Plight would probably be still drinking coffee regularly 10 times a day. Prophetbot was most likely still rooted to the spot he was.

Niko was starting to doze off again when a small screech in the distance reached his ears, but just barely. It was enough for him to pop off his chair, alert as ever. Thanks to his partial cat instincts, he crept along quietly, ears perked up for any additional sounds. He got so into acting like a spy, he nearly tripped on a round, cracked object, which he recognized as the sentry bot (which Edd wouldn’t stop blabbering about) with a clear hole through it and a crack where the bot met the ground. Upon further inspection, small amounts of smoke were coming off of the edges of said hole, indicating someone burned a hole through the robot.

Niko lifted it, intending to bring it to Edd for a more thorough investigation, only to be interrupted by a twig snapping. He whirled around, searching in the darkness for any intruders. Hard as he might, he detected nothing out of the ordinary. He warily turned around, zipping back into his cottage, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

The next morning, he woke to the screams of the local villagers, the smell of burning wood, and the zap of Edd’s electric pistol. He charged outside to be met with a horrifying sight. A trio of large soldier bots were firing willy-nilly, setting houses on fire and occasionally severely injuring or killing a person. The Robot Duo™ was evacuating any and all humans from the area, occasionally turning to deflect the odd explosive. A stray laser whizzed by his head, shocking him into action. The smell of burned tinder filled the air, as smoke filled everyone’s lungs and they all started to wheeze.

Niko covered his mouth with his scarf, waving his arms to maybe whisk away some of the gas. In his daze, he nearly ran into one of the bots. The laser charged up, Niko bringing up his hands to fire back, only for both to fire at the same time. Niko’s hand absorbed the heat from the laser, because they were adapted to do that, as he could shoot lasers from his hands. Duh. The robot wasn’t as fortunate. A metallic screech pierced his ears as the robot collapsed, dead. A second collapsed near his feet, frightening him greatly. Edd stepped through the smoke, lugging the body away to scrap for metal. The 3rd robot, without it’s brethren, quickly fled, fearing death. Niko leaned against the wall, bewildered. Edd started to call out, making sure everyone was A-OK. Various parents were lying on the ground, bleeding out or already dead. Niko, however, was preoccupied with who and why the robots attacked in the first place.

Silver had a villager slung over her arm, Proto and Cedric were carrying people away to the village’s healing hut, and the birds were helping the village doctor with his mending. Niko watched Edd viciously tear a robot’s arm off, snipping wires and dismantling joints. He stood there staring, thinking.  _ What has happened to everyone else while I was gone? Did they run away? _ Questions filled his mind, previously held back by the adrenaline of the battle and the exhaustion of the night before. 

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He had no time to think about these possibilities now. Rue took this moment to pop out of her hiding place in a hole in the wall of a degraded building. The lightbulb on her head glowed dimly, further belittled by the bright rays of the sun.  _ But for how much longer? _

Alula stood up, shaking the dust from her feathers, browned from the destruction the robots wrought. She rubbed her eyes, glazed over to prevent dust from getting in her eyes. Only then did she realize the cost of the battle. If they had woken up earlier, perhaps the villagers would be still alive. The remaining survivors walked around in a dizzy haze, confused and scared. Multiple people were leaning on each other, or lying down, unable to stand upright, wincing in pain whenever their injury was provoked. If other towns experienced this already, the future looked lackluster for the humans.  _ These are good people… I couldn’t stand letting them be eradicated…   _

Rue sneezed, the dust irritating her muzzle. She brushed her nose with her forepaw, wishing for any sort of mask to keep the little particles from choking her throat and nose. She padded over to Edd, who was gutting tearing apart dismantling the circuit boards, repurposing them for use in upgrading his tech. Edd carefully inspected a small battery before pocketing it, furtively glancing around. 

“What are you doing?”   
“O-oh, uh, I’m just taking apart these bots for spare parts.”   
“What’s in your pocket?”

“Nothing of use.”

“That was a battery.”   
“So?”   
“...”   
“Leave me to my own devices.”

“Ok, jeezus.” 

An old man, leaning heavily on a cane, barely managed to hobble over to the 6 year old, watching cautiously as Edd unconsciously crushed a copper cap in his outstretched hand. 

“So I heard y’all young’uns were travellin’ to Mech HQ, ey? Now that my village is all but destroyed, I suppose I’ll follow, if not to quench me unending boredom. Name’s Clich. Short for Cliche.”   
“That… came out of… well, nowhere.”   
“Surprise.”   
“Hilllllllarious.”

“I know.”   
“You’ve got a innate sense of sarcasm.”   
“Exactly.”   
“Well, get in the  choppa car. I don’t want another ambush landing right on us.”

“Thanks fer the support…”

Niko readjusted his pendant for the fiftieth time, removing his hat and placing it within the seat of the cabin of the vehicle. He climbed in, remembering the sentry bot he had brought in last night.   
“Hey Edd, I think the robots busted open the villages sentry. Could you maybe fix it?”

Edd stared in surprise at the robot he had repaired the day before.

“I JUST fixed that…”

Edd stared in bewilderment at a small tracking chip embedded in the hoverbot’s circuitry.

“Why would the robots put a tracking chip in the bot?”   
“Well, I guess they assumed we would be bringing it with us.”   
“But why would they need to?”   
Edd thought for a second.   
**“Because they’re onto us.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was super stressful to make but i diddddd it  
> thank for support


	9. Fuuuuuuuuuuu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

I have lost motivation for this

it was going to be so good

but alas

im not worthy of writing this

one day I'll finish this,

but not today

im sorry


	10. I've fallen out

I fell out with oneshot.

I'll be back some other time to occasionally throw in random stuff about other fandoms...


End file.
